Kenichi Yoshida

Kenichi is one of two musicians in The Yoshida Brothers (吉田兄弟). Kenichi joined the Non-Violence Project Japan as Peace and Non-Violence Ambassadors in 2015 (Face photo: Getty Images)

The two brothers are performers of the traditional Japanese music style of Tsugaru-jamisen which originated in northern Japan. They debuted in 1999 in Japan as a duo playing the shamisen. Their first album sold over 100,000 copies and made them celebrities in Japan. Their music has been a fusion of the rapid and percussive Tsugaru-jamisen style along with Western and other regional musical influences. In addition to performing songs that are only on the shamisen, they also use instruments such as drums and synthesizers. (Performance photo: Photo May S. Young)